Hey guys I'm new to cycling and have been doing some training around SOP just started and did a couple of 45km to 55km sessions and just getting into it. I did roughly 48km in 2h07min so still very slow....

I haven't done any group rides but I'm going to try and get used to riding with other cyclists by doing the BayBug ride around SOP this Saturday morning.

Any advice on beginner training for the Sydney to Gong ride? I'm thinking about doing it ...

So any advice on training and just general advice on my first SYD to Gong ride would be great...

Dr.Nate wrote:Hey guys I'm new to cycling and have been doing some training around SOP just started and did a couple of 45km to 55km sessions and just getting into it. I did roughly 48km in 2h07min so still very slow....

Not bad, thats 23-something km/h average.

Dr.Nate wrote:I haven't done any group rides but I'm going to try and get used to riding with other cyclists by doing the BayBug ride around SOP this Saturday morning.

Any advice on beginner training for the Sydney to Gong ride? I'm thinking about doing it ...

So any advice on training and just general advice on my first SYD to Gong ride would be great...

Thanks

Go ride up and down some hills. And not just small ones either. I reckon lots of people think "this wont be hard", and then reality slaps them in the face. Many people hit the RNP climb out and fall to bits. The descent into the RNP catches people too, with speed and cornering. Not to mention the first downhill section after coming out of the RNP heading south at Stanwell Park. There's a nasty, NASTY little hill right after Seacliff Bridge that gets lots of people walking, or simply toppling over onto others.

Crowds will be big, so dont expect much speed or road space if you're not starting in the first hundred riders. Very busy, just go easy. Ride predictably, ride within conditions, and remember to ENJOY IT!

It all depends on how easy you want to make it on yourself - you need to be able to ride both the distance and the hills.

When I first rode it (93 or 94), I had already done a 100k + training ride and some hill work. I managed to travel the first 60 km in about hours but then it was into a headwind & took me 2 hours to do the last 30k.

Much more recently I did it on a tandem. I was riding reasonable distances and my stoker had reasonable fitness from running, but the longest training ride we did was 50 km. We just took it easy, stopped for a rest and some food & whilst it was slow at about 4.5 hours, it wasn't too bad.

Im beginner training for that ride too.Looking for riding fellas who are not too fast but like to do long distance.Very hard to find...normally the long distance are the strong and fast cyclist... Its embarrasing having the stronger cyclist to wait for me...

I recommend the M7 Cycleway, I wish i'd used it years ago. Just started to recently, it's safe, you can make it as long or as short as you want by simply turning around and it has some peaky little hills in it to get your heart rate up.

kyap wrote:Im beginner training for that ride too.Looking for riding fellas who are not too fast but like to do long distance.Very hard to find...normally the long distance are the strong and fast cyclist... Its embarrasing having the stronger cyclist to wait for me...

Well, that's because once you have done a few long rides, you get fitter and therefore can ride faster, especially up hills.

It is quite possible to put together a challenging 90km+ hilly course in Sydney (if you live on the North Side anyway!). I have never done the Sydney to Gong, but the thought of dealing with thousands of riders of varying skill levels is not something I am entirely comfortable with. If I was to do it, I would be aiming to be in the very first group and get a clear run.

If you're training for the Sydney to Gong ride, why not practice on the actual course? Take a trip down to the RNP and ride a section or two. The roads are generally pretty quiet and you can start on an easy section and then build up as your confidence and fitness grows. As has been noted, there are some reasonable hills to be negotiated. It makes a big difference on the day if you've ridden them before. I would suggest trying the climb from Red Cedar Flat in the RNP to Bald Hill at Stanwell. This is not particularly steep, but it is quite long. One for another day would be to start at Stanwell Park and ride south to somewhere past Thirroul. How far will depend on how you're feeling on the day. This takes in the short, sharp climbs at the Seacliff Bridge and climbing out of Austinmer. You're following the train line so there are plenty of bailout options. As many have said, completing the course is all about pacing. You will be passed by hundreds of riders in the first 30km or so. Some will be fit and strong and on a mission, many others will be pushing too hard and will blow up later. Resist the urge to take off with them, keep to your own comfortable pace and you will pass many of them later on the course.

Even though it is a big event, I have found the atmosphere to be good. It is crowded in the early kilometres, but once you reach Waterfall, people are pretty well spread out. Though the National Park and following the coast road south really is a lovely ride, with quite stunning scenery. Hope you enjoy it.

2. Carry two bottles of water. I was slow in the last 10kms only because i was so damn thirsty!

The M7 is a great safe spot for training thanks for the heads up...

Good on you, I was out there yesterday morning too. The wind did pick up at about 8. Keep doing that ride but add 5 or so km's each time.

If you can do part of the ride as someone else has suggested it will give you a bit of a heads up as to what to expect to help pace yourself. I've been riding fairly consistently for a couple of years, I've done 6 gong rides and still to this day I've never been able to ride up the hill after sea cliff bridge, I have to walk it

If there is a map on the gong ride website you should check it out and aim to break that up into a few stages and ride them in the lead up.

You can catch a train to Gordon or pymble and ride to akuna. The road there is pretty cruisey.

Im also a beginner and recommend akuna, west head and the rnp. I do the rnp every Sunday and Akuna, westhead or bobbin head on Saturday's. There's a few of us who are beginnerish and I have some other syd to gongers joining us this sun.

ur welcome to join us

One 40km lap takes just over 2 hrs so we aren't super fast at all and happy to stop and wait

"The Gong Race" was my first real ride when I first took up riding, about 12 years ago. I remember posting the same question on a forum somewhere! I also remember pouring through heaps of training suggestions, some sound - most not so sound, or really necessary.

The best advice I was given, and the advice that I still adhere to, came from the great Eddy Merckx: "Ride your bike - a lot!"

Seriously, that's it. Try and do a different loop each day, use as much of your available time as possible, and don't make it too easy OR too hard. Keep in mind that you need to be putting in "sustainable effort" - massive hills in your first couple of years of riding won't do you any real favours. It is more probable that the big hills will only leave you disappointed, demotivated or worse - injured. Rolling hills at a steady, sustainable effort is a far more positive approach to improving your fitness and force.

For me, I do six days a week - 1 to 4 hour rides - saturday the longest, and take sunday off. (i also commute to work which is a great help). On these six days, I do 3 flat days and 3 hilly days. My intensity per ride is: EASY - MEDIUM - HARD, and repeat - eg: mon easy, tue med, wed hard, thu easy, fri med, sat hard, sunday off.

I use a HRM (heart rate monitor) for every ride, as it helps me with my perceived exertion.

I find that the more I keep it simple - as above, the more I enjoy my riding. In my earlier days of riding competitively, I had a tendancy to over-train, which would always come with a long road to recovery including injury, illness and "bike depression" - all of which were part of the reason I took up cycling to begin with. You should always get off your bike feeling like you could have done a little bit more - rather than dragging yourself home and falling off it wasted.

Routine is another key tool. Try and get to bed at the same time each night, get 8 hours and rise at the same time each day regardless of your training times. Also, try to find a riding partner or three at the same or similar fitness level as you, and ride together as often as you can - it helps with your motivation, and helps you to resist the "can't really be bothered" days.

Recovery is more important than training. I have 1 off day, and 1 really easy day each week. If I feel craphouse, i'll throw in another easy day in place of my hard day. I always have 1 easy WEEK per month, where all my days are reduced to no more than medium effort. MOST IMPORTANTLY, some days you will wake up feeling like garbage - rather than take the day off, do your best to get in 20-30 minutes of really easy soft pedalling, even on the home trainer (get one!). It helps to flush some good blood through the muscle, and keep them from getting tight and sore.

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